Michael Harsch, Pastor of Students & Children's Ministries

Michael has been on the Riverbend staff since May 1998 and has provided the leadership that has made Riverbend's youth perhaps the most solid doctrinely based group in all of Florida. He has developed a thorough year-round program that both supports and challenges the youth it serves. He also oversees the children's ministries.

Prior to Riverbend, Michael was on staff for a year at Thomas Road Baptist Church (under the late Jerry Falwell) in Lynchburg, Va. He served as assistant high school minister there after first serving a year as a high school intern. He also completed an internship at Glen Hope Baptist Church in Burlington, N.C.

A graduate of Liberty University in Virginia, Michael was a member of the touring YouthQuest Singers at Liberty for three years and was one of that group's soloists. He was also involved for four years on the Young Believers' Ministry Teams. In 2009 he was presented with the Alumnus of the Year Award for the Center for Youth Ministries at Liberty.

Exactly one year after arriving at Riverbend, Michael was ordained and licensed into the gospel ministry by Riverbend (May 1999). He has also led mission trips to Belarus and Romania.

Michael and his wife, the former Summer Crowe, have three children, Autumn, Noah and Payton. Summer's dad (Randy Crowe) is a pastor-missionary in the Bahama Islands and formerly pastored at New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) First Baptist Church.